The newest Phoenix Coyote, fresh off signing a four-year deal with a $5.5 million cap hit, said a big part of his decision was his track record with Dave Tippett and the team's somewhat solidified future in Arizona.

Mike Ribeiro is headed back to the Western Conference after one season with the Washington Capitals. (AP Photo)

The City of Glendale on July 2 approved an arena deal that will lead to the team's sale and guarantee it at least five more years in Jobing.com Arena. The city can pull the plug after that.

Either way, Ribeiro, at 34, is unlikely to be around for that. One a long-term deal with the Washington Capitals didn't materialize, Phoenix became his first option, largely because of Tippett, who coached him with the Dallas Stars. Ribeiro had 83 points in 2007-08 under Tippett, though he was 27 at the time.

"That was my No. 1 goal, to go somewhere knowing the coach and knowing a little bit, what they're looking for and what my role was gonna be," Ribeiro said. "He knows what he can get from me and I know what he wants."

Ribeiro is what he is—a flashy offensive player, solid second-line center and productive power-play element. He had 49 points in his only 48 games with the Caps, who acquired him via trade from the Stars last offseason. They weren't interested in a long-term deal, though, which disappointed Ribeiro—and his wife.

Now he's in Phoenix, where he's closer to a first-line center and joins a team that also may have overspent on goalie Mike Smith (six years, $5.7 salary cap hit).